GV4A4     
The Politics of Globalization

This information is for the 2017/18 session.

Teacher responsible

Dr Mathias Koenig-Archibugi

Availability

This course is compulsory on the MSc in Global Politics. This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.

Students on the MSc Global Politics are guaranteed access.

Course content

This is the core course of the MSc Global Politics. It examines the nature, the causes and the political consequences of globalization in a variety of domains, including security, culture, the economy, and the environment.  The course aims at enabling students to assess the extent of continuity and transformation in key areas of global politics.

The course content will cover the following topics though specific lecture titles may change from year to year: the contemporary debate about globalisation; changes in the nature of military power and war; the evolution of global economic governance; the globalization of migration and environmental concerns; the role of global intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations; great power politics in the contemporary global order; citizen and voter reactions to globalization; challenges to and opportunities for democracy in a global age.

Teaching

10 hours of lectures and 15 hours of seminars in the MT. 10 hours of lectures and 15 hours of seminars in the LT. 1 hour and 30 minutes of seminars in the ST.

3 additional lectures and 3 seminars in the LT on writing a global politics dissertation.

 

There will be a reading week in week 6 of the MT and LT for private study and assessment preparation.

Formative coursework

All students are expected to produce two written essays plus two short presentations on topics assigned to them.

Indicative reading

Held, D. and McGrew, A. Globalization/Anti-Globalization, second edition, Cambridge, Polity 2007; P. Hirst, G. Thompson and S. Bromley, Globalization in Question. 3rd edition, Polity 2009; J. A. Scholte, Globalization: a critical introduction. 2nd edition, Palgrave 2005; G. Garrett,  The Causes of Globalization. Comparative Political Studies September 2000 vol. 33 no. 6-7, 941-991; M. Zurn, Globalization and Global Governance. In Walter Carlsnaes et al., Handbook of International Relations, second edition. London: Sage, 2012;  S. Krasner, Globalization, Power, and Authority, in: The evolution of political knowledge: Democracy, autonomy, and conflict in comparative and international politics, edited by Edward D. Mansfield and Richard Sisson, Columbus: Ohio State University Press, p. 60-81, 2004; R. J. C. Young, Postcolonialism: a very short introduction, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2003; L. J. Shepherd (ed) Gender Matters in Global Politics, London: Routledge; M. Kaldor, New and Old Wars: Organised Violence in a Global Era, 2nd edition, Polity 2007; J. Ravenhill, ed., Global Political Economy, Oxford University Press 2005; R. Falkner, Business Power and conflict in International Environmental Politics. Palgrave Macmillan 2008; H.Seckinelgin, International Politics of HIV/AIDS, Routledge 2008; D. Archibugi, The Global Commonwealth of Citizens: Toward Cosmopolitan Democracy, Princeton University Press 2008.

A reading list with further readings will be provided at the beginning of the teaching term.

Assessment

Exam (50%, duration: 2 hours) in the main exam period.
Essay (50%, 4000 words).

Student performance results

(2013/14 - 2015/16 combined)

Classification % of students
Distinction 10.1
Merit 72.2
Pass 17.2
Fail 0.6

Key facts

Department: Government

Total students 2016/17: 38

Average class size 2016/17: 13

Controlled access 2016/17: Yes

Lecture capture used 2016/17: Yes (MT & LT)

Value: One Unit

Guidelines for interpreting course guide information

Personal development skills

  • Leadership
  • Self-management
  • Team working
  • Problem solving
  • Application of information skills
  • Communication
  • Specialist skills

Course survey results

(2013/14 - 2015/16 combined)

1 = "best" score, 5 = "worst" score

The scores below are average responses.

Response rate: 98%

Question

Average
response

Reading list (Q2.1)

2

Materials (Q2.3)

1.8

Course satisfied (Q2.4)

2.2

Lectures (Q2.5)

2.3

Integration (Q2.6)

2.1

Contact (Q2.7)

2.1

Feedback (Q2.8)

1.9

Recommend (Q2.9)

Yes

61%

Maybe

35%

No

4%